The Rise of Meme Culture: A Harmless Social Media Joke or Something More Sinister?
“Been there, done that, found a meme about it.”
It’s the millennial approach to everything – the good, the bad and the downright ugly – that life throws our way.
Go through a big experience, have a quick Google, and you’ll find an easy-to-share meme detailing exactly how you’re feeling with razor-sharp humour in a matter of seconds.
They’re insanely popular precisely because of this accuracy and accessibility.
The comfort of memes
There’s something comforting about sharing your joys – and struggles – with people who’ll also identify with them, who’ll understand your pain or happiness and help you laugh about it at the same time.
A problem shared is a problem halved, remember, and memes let you share on a massive scale.
The current response to Trump’s shock presidential victory this week is a perfect illustration of how we all seek solace online and use shareable content – like memes or tweets – to voice our opinions and connect with likeminded individuals.
From the instant the results were announced, the world set about creating memes to show its anger and shock at Clinton’s loss.
But providing encouraging political and social commentary isn’t the only positive way we use memes.
The power of before and after photos
Instagram fitness models and health pages – like Joe Wicks’ Body Coach, for example – regularly post before and after pictures of men and women who’ve transformed their bodies with diet or exercise.
They’re common motivational tools for people looking to lose weight or start working out, and the more extreme the better.
It’s the same with pages designed to support individuals undertaking cosmetic surgery, with before and after memes of successful rhinoplasties or breast augmentation procedures regularly receiving thousands of likes.
On these accounts and in these memes, followers find advice, support, encouragement and motivation to help them change their appearances – and lives.
Unfortunately, there’s also a much darker side to this trend.
The potential for body-shaming
Even when they’re created with the best intentions in mind, there’s no guarantee they’ll continue to be used in a constructive manner.
They often end up becoming a source of ridicule, a tool for publicly body-shaming and objectifying people – particularly young women.
It doesn’t take much hunting around the internet to find hundreds of memes dedicated solely to brutally tearing apart Kylie Jenner and her infamous lip fillers.
More recently, Taylor Swift has been a victim of vicious before and after memes speculating about whether she’s had a boob job.
The virality of cruelty
These cruel memes quickly go viral – often without the subject’s approval.
And although those starring celebrities are more popular, regular individuals are sometimes caught up in similar situations, especially since photos posted online can be easily taken without permission.
What starts out as a funny joke to the people making and sharing them can, in the space of a few hours, become a nightmare for the unwilling subjects.
Take Maggie Goldenberger, the 23-year-old American whose goofy childhood photo was dragged out of the depths of the internet and turned into the viral ‘ermahgerd’ meme. Although she’s relatively at peace with her social media fame nowadays, she had no control over what happened to her.
Earlier this year we saw a much more extreme example when Italian woman Tiziana Cantone committed suicide after her leaked sex tape was turned into a viral meme.
Clearly more vigorous laws are needed to regulate online privacy.
The millennial meme culture
Nevertheless, it’s a tricky and sensitive debate.
Yes, memes can be great, harmless fun in some cases, but they can also be used destructively.
Altering our ignorant mind-set to this dark undercurrent of social media will be crucial going forwards, and since viral memes are so much a part of the millennial culture, bringing about change will be a slow process.
Please, stay mindful of your results.
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